Hamdi Abu Golayyel
Encyclopedia
Hamdi Abu Golayyel is an Egyptian writer. He was born in 1967/68 in a Bedouin
village in the Fayoum region. His ancestors arrived from Libya
in the early 19th century to settle in Fayoum. Abu Golayyel migrated to Cairo
in the early 1980s, and worked as a construction labourer on building sites. These experiences later provided material for his literary endeavours.
His first book was a collection of short stories published in 1997 under the title Swarm of Bees. His second collection, released in 2000, won several literary awards. He received further acclaim with his novel Thieves in Retirement, originally published by the Dar Merit publishing house in Cairo
, and later by Syracuse University Press
in an English translation by Marilyn Booth
. His next novel A Dog with No Tail won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal in 2008. An English translation by Robin Moger has been released by the AUC Press
. He is regarded as one of the most important new voices in Egyptian fiction.
Abu Golayyel works in folklore research under the aegis of the Egyptian ministry of culture. He also contributes regularly to an Emirati newspaper. He is married with children and lives in Cairo.
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
village in the Fayoum region. His ancestors arrived from Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
in the early 19th century to settle in Fayoum. Abu Golayyel migrated to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in the early 1980s, and worked as a construction labourer on building sites. These experiences later provided material for his literary endeavours.
His first book was a collection of short stories published in 1997 under the title Swarm of Bees. His second collection, released in 2000, won several literary awards. He received further acclaim with his novel Thieves in Retirement, originally published by the Dar Merit publishing house in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, and later by Syracuse University Press
Syracuse University Press
Syracuse University Press, founded in 1943, is a university press that is part of Syracuse University. The areas of focus for the Press include Middle East Studies, Native American Studies, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Irish Studies and Jewish Studies, among others. The Press has an international...
in an English translation by Marilyn Booth
Marilyn Booth
-Biography:Booth graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University in 1978, and was the first female winner of the Wendell Scholarship. She obtained a D.Phil. in Arabic literature and Middle Eastern history from St Antony's College, Oxford in 1985. She received a Marshall Fellowship for her...
. His next novel A Dog with No Tail won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal in 2008. An English translation by Robin Moger has been released by the AUC Press
AUC Press
The AUC Press was established in 1960 and reorganized in 1984. It is the Middle East’s largest English language publishing house. Its goal is to support the cultural exchange mission of its parent university....
. He is regarded as one of the most important new voices in Egyptian fiction.
Abu Golayyel works in folklore research under the aegis of the Egyptian ministry of culture. He also contributes regularly to an Emirati newspaper. He is married with children and lives in Cairo.